


Seven Days

by darksnakedreaming



Category: Hataraku Maou-Sama! | The Devil Is a Part-Timer!
Genre: Aftercare, Aftermath of Torture, Angst, Anxiety, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Pain, Slight Canon Divergence, Torture, Violence, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-04
Updated: 2016-05-27
Packaged: 2018-05-24 15:23:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 9,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6158001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darksnakedreaming/pseuds/darksnakedreaming
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Olba kidnaps Urushihara and tortures him for seven days.</p>
<p>Urushihara also has a lot of secret grudges/anxiety/depression which he hasn't told anyone, but we discover that MUCH later.</p>
<p>He also has an intense fear of rejection/abandonment because of being cast out of heaven, which is also going to be revealed much later, but Mao already suspects this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Day One

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of a previous fic that I posted called Broken Wings, which I was originally gonna delete when I posted this, but decided to leave up. 
> 
> I think a lot more could have been done with Urushihara's back story in the anime, so I decided to make up my own haha... Sadou and Urushihara's relationship is like a father/son kind of deal, so no BL (sorry, just don't see it.) which I guess makes Ashiya the mom...? 
> 
> “You're a great demon general aren't you? Where did all this fear com from? Face your doom like a man!”

Urushihara knew that with his wings he could easily ditch his pursuers, but that would draw unwanted attention from the crowds of humans on the street, and he'd promised Mao he wouldn't cause a panic. Fervently praying that his pursuers would also want to avoid attention, the teen darted around a random corner, cursing Ashiya's weak stomach.

 

Normally, Urushihara was a shut in, but Ashiya was once again suffering the effects of expired udon noodles, and Mao was stuck working a double shift at a MgRonald's across town, so Urushihara had no choice but to go to the convenience store for some medicine. That was when he had run into a man wearing a hooded sweatshirt, the hood pulled low over his face, who had started following him the moment he left the store. Gradually, another hooded man joined the first, and that's when Urushihara started running. The first man shouted for his companion and ran after the teen.

 

He slipped around another random corner, now hopelessly lost, and ended up running through a maze of alleyways and side streets, with few other people on them. His chest heaved from exertion and fear, and his legs ached from the effort of running for so long. Somewhere along the way, his feet had slipped out of his sandals, and the rough ground had left the tender flesh bruised and scraped.

 

Frustrated and impatient, Urushihara decided he didn't care who saw him and unfurled his wings, preparing to leap into the air. That's when his left leg spasmed, sending a white hot streak of pain up his spine and sent him crumpling to the ground with a sharp cry of pain.

 

Years ago, in his battle with Emelia the Hero, she had badly wounded that leg before landing the blow everyone thought had killed him. He still bore the scars from both wounds, one a jagged line that wrapped around his upper thigh and the other a smooth line about five inches long that slanted over his heart.

 

Beating his wings, he tried to force his body upward, but it was too late. A net dropped over him from above and Urushihara realized that he had been intentionally herded to this alley. He pulled his wings back so they wouldn't further entangle him in the net, struggling to heave the heavy rope over his head. Before he could have much success, the two men rushed him and engulfed him in a thick canvas bag, net and all. Urushihara started kicking as much as he could and yelled, “Hey! How dare you throw me in some sack like some kid! Let me out dammit!”

 

Sealed inside the bag, he was easily lifted and slung over someones shoulder and Urushihara cursed his slight, delicate, frame. He was the youngest of the demon generals, and much to his chagrin, that also made him the smallest at barely five feet tall. Malacoda and Adromelech missed no chance to mock his small stature and make him feel like a petulant child. Even Ashiya treated him like a child sometimes, and he certainly felt like a kid being taken for ransom now. Frantically he continued yelling and struggling, hoping to attract someones attention and get some help. But no one came to his rescue and he was tossed into what he though was the back of a truck.

 

~

 

Urushihara was unceremoniously dumped out of the bag and roughly disentangled from the net, which had thoroughly wrapped around his arms and legs from the teens struggles. He quickly looked around the small room, noting the magic sealing circles painted on the cement floor and ceiling, as well as each of the cinder block walls and industrial door. The only light came from a dim fixture in the ceiling that flickered and there were no windows or furnishings.

 

The two men who had brought him in here left, and slammed the door behind them. Urushihara rushed for the door, desperately trying the handle and banging his fist against it when it proved to be locked, “Hey! Don't just leave me in here!”

 

He beat on the door for several minutes before sinking to his knees, leaning his forehead against the cool metal panel. He felt his heart beating more rapidly as panic clogged his throat, making it hard to breathe, just like always happened when he was alone at the apartment. After his battle with Emilia, he'd been sucked into the gate and trapped there between worlds for fifty years, leaving him with a fear of being alone and the dark.

 

Hot tears welled in the teens eyes, threatening to spill over his cheeks. Urushihara shook his head and wiped the back of his hand over his eyes. _I won't let them make me cry._

 

Rising to his feet, he decided to take a closer look at the room, running his hands over the wall and looking for any weakness. Finding none, he tucked himself into a corner, drawing his knees up to his chest and buried his face in them, crossing his arms over his head. Taking deep breaths and trying to calm the ever growing panic tightly squeezing his chest, the teen eventually drifted off to sleep.

 

~

 

Urushihara woke with a start as the door slammed shut behind a group of three men, the two from earlier, and the other dressed in Ente Islan priest robes, his hood hiding the upper half of his face. The priest grinned wickedly and pulled his hood back. It was Olba.

 

The teens eyes narrowed, “Olba. I should have guessed you were behind this. What do you want?”

 

The older man laughed. “I don't want anything from you Lucifer. I'm merely keeping the promise I made you.”

 

“What promise?”

 

“Your glorious return to heaven.”

 

“No thanks.” The teen stood, “I'll just go home now, yeah?”

 

Olba's two hench-men grabbed his arms, painfully wrenching them behind his back as they held him tightly, bruising his skin.

 

“I'm afraid that's not up to you. You see, I'm in need of a 'golden ticket' myself, and that's you.”

 

“What?”

 

“Let me explain. A few months ago I escaped from prison and came here, where I met these kind gentlemen. Unfortunately, I've fallen out of favor with God as a result of my betrayal to the church. However, if I purify you, the Ultimate Betrayer, and return you to His side, I'm sure He will grant me his favor again.”

 

“No way that'll happen, Olba! That's not ho-” One of the men holding him shoved a wad of cotton in his mouth and secured it with a long strip of fabric knotted behind the teens head. Olba shook his head and left the room, motioning for his followers to bring Urushihara with them. “I had this building constructed specifically to hold you and drain you of magic, so that over the next seven days, we can cleanse and purify your body and soul. And give up on the idea of Satan rescuing you, we've made sure he believes you betrayed him again. It was quite easy to convince him, after all, you've betrayed him before. And even if he discovers our trick, there is no way for him to track down our location.”

 

The teen was dragged into a room opposite the one he'd been in. It was roughly the same size, and was painted with the same circles with a cement floor and cinder block walls, but this one had various rings screwed into the ceiling and had a few small cabinets and a sink hung on the back wall and had what he assumed was a closet. It was was furnished with what looked like a dentist's exam chair, but was equipped with several leather straps.

 

Urushihara was forced into the chair and roughly strapped down, the stiff leather digging into his skin. He heard one of Olba's henchman rummaging in a cabinet briefly, then he returned. The teens eyes widened in fear as a bright orange tourniquet was tied around his upper arm and the man swabbed the inside of his elbow with an alcohol wipe. He winced as a thin hollow needle was inserted into a vein and the area bandaged. The man fiddled there for a few minutes, attaching an IV tube to the needle, then held up an old fashioned glass IV bottle filled with an ominous purple fluid, allowing the liquid to flow through the tube and into Urushihara's arm.

 

The men pulled him out of the chair and bound his wrists together, then dragged him out of the room and down a short hallway, Olba following behind carrying the IV bottle. Urushihara struggled as they approached a waist-high, round tub filled with faintly shimmering liquid that he instantly recognized as Holy Water. Olba's associates easily lifted him, and the teen kicked his legs furiously as they dragged him over to the tub. They dunked him into the pool and Urushihara winced as the freezing water soaked through his t-shirt and shorts, tingling uncomfortably when it came in contact with his skin. He thrashed as they forced him to lean back, holding the arm with the IV clear of the water as they pushed his head under the water. It flooded into his nose and mouth and Urushihara's struggles grew weaker, until they stopped all together. They held him there for what felt like years, but was actually only minutes before they finally let him up.

 

The teen spluttered and coughed as much as the gag would allow, greedily breathing in through his nose. He was granted precious few moments of air before they forced him down again, and the teen was barely able to suck in a breath and hold it just before he was submerged again. They yanked him back up just before his air ran out, and Urushihara breathed deeply. Over and over again they forced him down, until the teen was sure he would pass out from lack of oxygen. The entire time, Olba stood just far enough away to be out of the splash zone, his wicked smirk never fading.

 

After what felt like centuries to the teen, the men dragged him out of the pool and back to the small room he'd been in before. They disconnected the IV tube and cut the bonds on his wrists and shoved him in the room, slamming and locking the door.

 

Urushihara clawed the gag out of his mouth and retched, all the holy water that had forced it's way down his throat coming up in violent spasms. He fumbled momentarily with the tube sticking out of his arm, giving up when his numb fingers couldn't peel the clear bandage away. Groaning, he shrugged his sodden t-shirt over his head and wrung it out before pulling it back on and repeating the procedure with his shorts and boxers. Staggering over to his corner he curled up with his back pressed to the wall, letting his eyes wander over the room, noticing for the first time the blinking red light of a security camera in the light fixture. _How did I miss that?_

 

He shivered in his wet clothes and curled his arms around his middle as his abused stomach twinged painfully. Urushihara wearily closing his eyes, breathing freely now that he was out of the water and had removed the gag. He dozed of and on, waking up occasionally to purge more bile from his stomach.


	2. Day Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I said, short chapters

Urushihara woke with a start as some kind of putty was pressed into his ears. He'd been gagged again and blindfolded, and he tried to reach up to remove it but found his wrists and ankles bound. His head swan and his heart rate increased. Panic squeezed his chest, making it hard to breathe. Tears welled in his eyes and a scream welled in his throat as his fear of darkness and being alone consumed him. _No. Where did all this fear come from? I'm a great demon general! I won't cry, I won't scream. I'm a great demon general!_

 

Urushihara felt like decades passed with him lying bound, essentially blind and deaf, barely keeping his panic under his control. At some point, he started imagining he could hear someone whispering, and thought he felt someone run their hands down his back. A small whimper of panic escaped before he bit it back, his small body trembling with fear. _I'm a demon general I'm a demon general I'm a demon general..._


	3. Day Three

Urushihara jolted awake as he was hoisted over one of the men's shoulders, who he decided to call 'Muscle' as a way to distinguish the two. He almost made a snarky comment as he was carried out of the room like a child, but thought better of it. _Pick your battles..._ He was still bound at the wrists and ankles, but the blindfold and gag were gone. His partner followed behind, carrying the ever present IV bottle of purple liquid as Urushihara was carried into the other room. The exam chair had been removed, but a battered armchair had been placed in a corner, and Olba sat there, watching with the same wicked smirk.

 

He was set on his feet in the center of the room as 'Not-Muscle' jerked his arms over his head and secured them with another length of rope to a ring in the ceiling. Urushihara's eyes widened as Muscle pulled an aluminum baseball bat out of the closet, grinning almost as wickedly as Olba.

 

Wrenching his eyes shut, Urushihara tried to prepare himself for the impact. Several minutes passed and he let his guard down, opening his eyes. That's when Muscle struck, hitting him squarely in his now sensitive stomach, causing him to retch painfully. He circled Urushihara as he landed blow after blow to the teens stomach, legs, and back. The teen's eyes watered and he almost let out a cry of pain as he felt a rib snap on his right side. He briefly considered begging for the beating to stop, then decided to add that to the list of things he _would not_ do. Then Muscle struck a blow to the teens head, and Urushihara blacked out.


	4. Day Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are just gonna get worse for poor Urushihara

The next time the teen woke, he found himself once again gagged, and still tied in the same room, which now reeked of vomit and sweat. His breath rattled and he coughed painfully if he inhaled too deeply. His body burned with what he decided was a fever, and a fine layer of sweat coated his skin. The ever present IV was still leaking the same purple fluid into his body, and Urushihara wondered, not for the first time, what exactly it was doing to him.

 

Olba and his friends were currently missing, but he was sure they'd still be watching after noticing the camera's in the light fixtures.

 

Urushihara looked down to discover that he'd been stripped of his shirt and numerous electrodes had been placed all over his chest and bruised abdomen. He tried to crane his neck to look at his back, bot the movement strained his broken rib and he winced, biting back a moan. Wires led from the electrodes to several black boxes on the floor and Urushihara swallowed a whimper.

 

The teens back arched painfully as a powerful electric current rippled through his body, and Urushihara bit down hard on the wad of cotton in his mouth to keep from screaming. The current dissipated and his head fell forward. _Remote controlled huh...Olba can afford some fancy toys these days... or his 'friends' can..._

 

The electric current blazed through him again, causing his muscles to contract painfully. Urushihara couldn't help the low groan that tore from his throat, chastising himself for reacting to the pain.

 

The shocks continued off and on for hours, until finally Muscle entered the room and cut him down from the ceiling. He heaved the nearly unconscious teen over his shoulder, jarring his broken rib as he was carried back to his cell. The man untied him and took the gag off, then left the teen alone again.

 

He lay on the floor where Muscle had dumped him, too tired and sore to move, his body still quivering from the shock treatment. He closed his eyes and let himself fall into the pit of unconsciousness.


	5. Day Five

It felt like only moments passed before he was picked up once again, bound, blindfolded and gagged once more. The silence of the pair unnerved Urushihara, and being both blind and mute didn't help matters, but the teen was getting accustomed to the edge of panic that had gripped him constantly since he'd been brought here.

 

He was placed backwards on an un-sanded wooden chair, his chest pressing against it's back as his wrists were bound to the slats on the side and his ankles were bound to the chairs legs. A rough rope was wrapped around his neck and bound to the chair as well, preventing him from lifting his head.

 

He heard an odd rattling sound followed by the sharp whoosh of something being swung through the air moments before a many stranded whip connected with his bare back. He felt the nine-tails barbs dig into his flesh and rip away over and over again.

 

As always, the torture seemed to last for eternity, with Urushihara repeating his mantra of I won't cry, I won't scream, I won't beg until he blacked out.


	6. Day Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Told you it'd get worse :)

He awoke next with his stomach heaving violently, the gag gone again, and no choice but to vomit all over whatever was in front of him, as he was still tied in the same position. He let his head hang wearily as his stomach lurched, begging it to calm itself. _Seriously...the heck is wrong with me..._

 

As time passed, he took stock of his condition. There was the constant vomiting, the cough and fever, his suspected broken rib, his body still shook from the electric shocks, and he was pretty sure his back looked like hamburger from the most recent torture. _How many days has it been now? How much longer is this gonna go on..._

 

Bitterly he realized that tears had welled up in his eyes once more.

 

_I won't cry._

 

He heard the door open and close, then someone shuffling around the room, the distinct smell of bleach and the sound of scrubbing, followed by the scrape of Olba's chair against the cement. Someone pressed a hand against his back and the teen winced in pain.

 

_I won't scream._

 

His wings unfurled, unbidden, and he bit his lip to keep himself from crying out in pain as his feathers brushed against the wounds on his back. His throat closed with fear as he wondered what they could be planning, certain that Olba had somehow found out that his wings were his greatest weakness, being the most sensitive part of his body.

 

_I won't beg..._

 

He tried desperately to pull his wings back, but didn't have enough magic energy to force them to obey. The blindfold was removed and Urushihara blinked a few times before realizing that Muscle stood in front of him, bearing a extra large hammer.

 

Finally guessing at what they planned, a low whine escaped his throat and hot tears spilled over his cheeks as he begged, “Olba, no, don't do this, not my wings, ple-”

 

Urushihara screamed as Muscle brought the hammer down on his left wing, shattering the joint that connected it to his shoulder. He brought it down again and again, passive expression never changing as the teen wailed in agony. He continued until Urushihara was sure every bone in his wing was broken, then repeated the entire process on the teens right wing.

 

The young fallen angel begged. He begged for Olba to release him, he begged for the torture to stop, he begged for King Satan to save him, and at long last, with nothing left, he begged for the mercy of the God who had rejected him and cast him out of Heaven. But no mercy came, no King came to save him, and Olba did not release him. But at long last the beating stopped, and Muscle dragged the teen back into his cell.

 

Urushihara lay on the cold floor where Muscle had dropped him, physically and emotionally exhausted from the ordeal. His blood circulated through his numb limbs painfully as his wings folded away. Hot tears ran down the teens cheeks unchecked, and he whimpered and moaned in pain as his battered body throbbed. He didn't care anymore. He wanted to die.


	7. Day Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The unholiest of days

Urushihara woke with an agonized scream as his left shoulder was dislocated by Muscle jerking his arm up to bind it to a thick cylinder of wood. Not-Muscle was busy securing his right arm to the other end. The pair shouldered the beam and dragged the teen down the hall, where a tall wooden post was set up. Not-Muscle shoved the wad of cotton in his mouth and bound it with a length of cloth, then tied the blindfold over the teens eyes. Urushihara almost laughed as the hoisted him up on the post and bound his ankles to it. Crucifixion. Figures. 

Several hours passed by as the teen drifted on the edge of unconsciousness, breathing growing shallower as he waited to die of suffocation. He fervently wished for death, for anything to make the agony of the past seven days end. 

Dazedly, he recognized the sounds of fighting and someone shouting, but didn't care enough to pick out any words. Suddenly the ropes binding him to the makeshift cross slackened, and Urushihara fell forward, groaning as blood circulated through his deprived limbs and automatically sucking in as deep a breath as the gag would allow. 

Firm, but gentle, arms caught him before he toppled onto the floor, jarring his abused body. He let his head rest on whoever's shoulder as he they sank to the floor, turning him so that his back rested against their chest in the process. 

Whoever it was undid the gag first, delicately extracting the wad of cotton from his mouth so he could breathe easier, and then deftly untied the blindfold. Urushihara looked up blearily into the concerned demonic faces of King Satan and Alciel. So they did come... 

Suddenly remembering that Olba had said they believed he had betrayed them, he clutched at Satan's chest, “I didn't ...betray you... I...didn't...”

His voice was raspy from screaming and disuse, and barely any sound came out, so the teen swallowed a few times and tried to repeat himself. The demon king shushed him, “It's okay, I know you didn't. I'm sorry it took us so long to get here...”

Urushihara continued to try and plead with his king, words eventually trailing off as he slipped into a welcome pit of unconsciousness.

~

Mao slowly sank to his knees in the Devil's Castle as his demonic form vanished, having used the last of his magic energy to teleport the three of them home. “Alciel, I have a mission for you.”

His general fell to one knee, placing a hand over his heart and bowing his head, “Yes, Sire?”

“I want you to go to the store and purchase bandages and medicine, whatever you think we'll need. I also want you to purchase a futon, and bedding. Prioritize comfort over cost this time.”

“Sire...I believe we would be better served to take him to a hospital. Surely they are better equipped to care for him?”

“I'm not sure a hospital can help him... And I can't think of any way to explain what happened to him without the police getting involved, not to mention he's still wanted for all those robberies and muggings a few months back.”

“Understood sir. May I take Dulahan for this journey?”

“Yeah, do that.”

~

Emi pressed the 'end call' button on her cell phone and closed it with an irritated snap. Emeralda had just warned her that Olba had escaped from prison several months ago, and had been tracked to the Earthly plane before the Church lost him. Emeralda was certain that he was planning some kind of revenge and had called with the information as soon as she found out. 

She hadn't been by the Devil's Castle in a couple weeks from being busy at work, and quickly decided that this was an in-person kind of update. She turned the corner just in time to see Ashiya ride off on the devil's bike, seemingly in quite a hurry. Curious, Emi quickly darted up the stairs to their flat, and was surprised to find the door still partially open. 

Inside, she found Mao kneeling on the floor, cradling a bruised and bloody Urushihara in his arms.


	8. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urushihara has finally been rescued and it's time for his recovery to begin

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place immediately after the previous chapter, but I really wanted to end that one with the visual at the end.

The demon king spoke without looking up, “Tell me you weren't involved in this.”

“I just heard about it from Emeralda... I was coming over to warn you.”

 

Mao looked up at her, and Emi could see the anger and pain in his eyes. “What do you know?”

 

Emi sighed and slipped out of her shoes, stepping further into the apartment. “Olba apparently escaped from the Church's prison several months ago and was tracked to this world. Emeralda got word when they lost him, thinking he'd be planning some kind of revenge and called to warn me. I never would have guessed that he'd target Urushihara though...I thought it'd be you or me...”

 

Mao looked back down at the unconscious teen in his arms. “Olba...”

 

Emi said nothing, just took a large bowl out of the cabinet beside the sink, filling it with warm water. “Washcloth?”

 

“In the closet.”

 

Emi set the table on its legs and placed the bowl on it, then fished a washcloth from a stack in the closet. She sank to her knees in front of them, dipping the cloth into the water. She wrung out the excess water and tentatively reached out, pausing before she touched Urushihara. “Do you mind?”

 

“Go ahead.”

 

The hero had no more touched the cloth to the teens bloodied brow when Urushihara suddenly woke and lunged at her, screaming in rage, “Emilia! This is all your fault! I'll kill you!”

 

Mao struggled to hold Urushihara back as the teen tried to swipe at Emi, threats of violence and death pouring from his mouth. Eventually Mao placed a gentle hand over the youths brow, using a bit of his reserve magic to send the teen to sleep. He glared up at Emi, “What did he mean, 'this is your fault'?”

 

“I have no idea.”

 

“Emilia...”

 

She heard the threat in the demon kings voice and immediately bit back the retort she'd been about to make. Instead, she bowed her head and placed her right hand over her heart, “I swear by my father's grave and the angelic blood in my veins, I had nothing to do with the attack on Urushihara. I only heard from Emeralda just before I came over.”

 

Mao looked back down at his subordinate. “Sorry... I just... I don't know what to do... I don't know how to fix this.”

 

“I'm assuming you opted out of taking him to the hospital?”

 

“Yeah... there's no way to explain this, and they were giving him some kind of potion from Ente Isla to him through an IV, so I'm not even sure a doctor would be able to help.”

 

Emi dipped the cloth back in the bowl and resumed cleaning the blood off the teens forehead. “How bad are his injuries?”

 

“I'm not sure... It's obvious they beat him pretty badly with something, and I'm pretty sure a whip caused the injuries on his back, but other than that, I don't know what they did to him.”

 

“When did they take him? How did they even catch him?”

 

“A week ago I think... He went out to get medicine for Ashiya and didn't come back, so we thought he was just goofing off at an arcade somewhere, but when I tracked his energy... I found one of his sandals in a gutter and the meds he'd picked up for Ashiya scattered in a back alley and then his energy just... vanished. After that, I got a text from a number I didn't recognize that said 'I'm going back to Heaven.' But I know he doesn't want to go back, so that was obviously bogus. After that it took Ashiya and I a couple days to gather enough magic, and then a few more days to track him down until we finally found their hideout a couple hours ago, and by then... they had him hanging on a cross... Olba wasn't there, just two humans who ran off as soon as they figured out we were demons.”

 

Emi had frozen as soon as Mao said 'cross.' “That's...what was Olba trying to do?”

 

“Dunno. From the look of the place, I'd say it used to be some kind of prison before Olba got his hands on it. They converted a few of the cells to hold Urushihara and keep him from using magic, and it looks like they kept moving him from cell to cell.”

 

The hero finished cleaning the blood off the unconscious teen, careful to avoid grazing any of his open wounds. She dumped the bowl out in the sink and refilled it, this time grabbing a plastic cup and the shampoo from under the sink.

 

Understanding what she was planning to do, Mao adjusted his position to hold the teens head over the bowl. Emi carefully used the cup to wet Urushihara's hair and washed away the blood and grime that had soaked into it, delicately running her fingers through it as she rinsed it out. She grabbed a towel from the closet where she had seen them earlier and used it to gently dry the teens hair before dumping the bowl and kneeling down on the floor again.

 

“I should probably report all this to Emeralda... Maybe she has someone who can inspect the building and help figure out what Olba was trying to do.”

 

“Ashiya should still have the address.”

 

At that moment, Ashiya returned, a plastic-wrapped futon strapped to his back and several shopping bags in his arms. He didn't seem at all surprised by Emi being there as he set his bundles down on the floor. “Where should I set up the futon, Sire?”

 

“Let's move the desk over some and put it against the wall under the window. Emi...can you hold Urushihara while I help Ashiya move stuff?”

 

“Sure.” Emi held her arms out as Mao passed the teen to her, careful to avoid jarring him. She stayed and helped Mao and Ashiya bandage Urushihara's wounds after the futon had been set up. Politely she declined having dinner with them and headed back to her apartment.

 

Wearily she dialed Emeralda's number, and got the magician's voicemail. Not wanting to give away too much in a message she tried to keep it brief. “It's Emi... about Olba...turns out we were too late. He kidnapped Urushihara and... he's in bad shape. Anyway, I know you have a lot going on with the Reconstruction, but I need a favor... You know a lot more about this kind of thing than I do, so can you come back to the Earthly plane for a little while? Call me back as soon as you get this.”

 

Exhausted, she flopped down on her bed, not even bother to shower or change clothes. She had just dozed off when someone buzzed her apartment. Thoroughly confused, Emi staggered over to the door and pressed the button on the speaker. “Who is it?”

 

“It's Emeralda, silly.”

 

Surprised, Emi let her friend in, then bolted the door. “That was fast.”

 

“What was?”

 

“I just left you a message asking if you could come.”

 

“Oh, I was probably already on my way here. I was worried about how things would go with Olba and decided you might be better off with me helping from here this time. What was your message?”

 

“It was about Olba. We assumed he'd go after me or Mao, but it turns out he kidnapped Urushihara about a week ago. He's hurt pretty badly, but Mao doesn't think taking him to a hospital is a good idea. You know all kinds of things about demons and angels and medicine, so was going to see if you could do anything to help him.”

 

Emeralda's green eyes widened as Emi told her everything Mao had said about what had happened to the fallen angel. “I'll have my own agents look into the building where they were keeping him, and I'll do whatever I can to help.”

 

“The trains will have already stopped running for the night, but I'll take the day off from work and we can head over first thing in the morning.”


	9. Safe

Mao leaned against the wall at the head of Urushihara's futon while Ashiya had laid down at the foot, directly across from the door. He hadn't said anything, but Mao knew he intended to be the first line of defense if anyone came looking for Urushihara again. He knew his general felt a tremendous amount of guilt over Urushihara's capture, since the teen had only left the apartment to get medicine for him.

 

Urushihara had slept soundly since Mao had put the spell on him, but it would be wearing off anytime. Sure enough the teens brows knitted together in an expression of pain or fear, probably both. He whimpered slightly, not even fully awake, and Mao gently ran his fingers through the teens hair as his eyes opened and he looked around anxiously. “M-master...?”

 

The teens voice was rough and quiet, barely a whisper. The demon king smiled gently at his subordinate, “It's okay, you're safe now.”

 

“...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...”

 

Mao continued stroking the teens hair, “Shh, Urushihara. It's okay. I'm here...”

 

Gradually the teen fell back to sleep, trailing off as he muttered something about being afraid and being sorry, and eventually Mao allowed himself to fall asleep as well, fingers still curled in Urushihara's hair.

 

~

 

Urushihara woke slowly and begrudgingly. He was mostly comfortable and warm, and for some reason that surprised him. He lay there with his eyes closed, stubbornly trying to fall asleep again. His stomach churned unpleasantly, which is when he remembered the events of the past seven days. The teen bolted upright in a panic, jolting his wounds painfully. His stomach heaved violently and a bowl was thrust in his hands. Urushihara dry heaved for long minutes, and they eventually passed since nothing remained in his stomach. The teen warily looked around, realizing for the first time that he was back in the apartment,in clean clothes, his wounds had been bandaged, and he was sitting on what was obviously a newly purchased futon.

 

Ashiya held out his hand for the bowl, a worried expression on his face. Rather than say anything, the teen lay back down on the futon and pulled the blanket over his head. He heard his fellow general sigh and fully expected a lecture, but Ashiya said nothing, and Urushihara peeked out from under the blanket to discover that he'd turned back to the stove.

 

The teen jumped when the door creaked open and Mao walked in, burrowing back under the blanket as the demon king spoke to Ashiya quietly. “I took some more time off from work, Ms. Kisaki wasn't exactly happy about it, but we have plenty of savings from that temp job you had, so it'll work out somehow.”

 

“I'm glad it worked out that way... he woke up a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure if he still is. I thought he might be sick, but he only dry heaved for a while before he laid back down.”

 

“Tell me that sooner!”

 

Urushihara squeezed his eyes closed as he heard one of them, probably Mao, approach. The quilt was gently pulled back and his trembling body shook even more, fervently hoping whichever one it was would think he was asleep. A hand lightly patted his cheek, so they were determined to have him awake. Of course it was Mao, who spoke to him gently, “Come on Urushihara. Ashiya made breakfast, you should try to eat a little bit at least.”

 

The teen groaned as he sat up. Mao set the table up next to the futon so Urushihara wouldn't have to get up and Ashiya placed bowls of food on the table and set out their chopsticks. The teens eyes watered, spilling over as he noticed a brand new pair of purple chopsticks were set in front of him. Urushihara already felt guilty that they'd had to come to his rescue, and the brand new chopsticks, a new futon, and whatever medicine and bandages they'd had to buy only added to that guilt.

 

Neither the demon king nor Ashiya said anything about his tears as they ate, for the most part in silence. Urushihara wiped his face with the back of his arm, then picked up the chopsticks with trembling fingers and managed to choke down a good portion of the meal Ashiya had prepared.

 

Ashiya cleared the breakfast dishes away, scraping Urushihara's leftovers into a plastic container and placing them in the fridge. Mao scooted the table back to the middle of the room and leaned on it, obviously mulling over something. Urushihara squeaked out a quick 'Um' before his stomach churned unpleasantly, and he heaved. Ashiya shoved a bowl in the teens hands just in time for him to retch violently, the second in command's fingers still sudsy from washing dishes.

 

Mao came over immediately and knelt next to Urushihara, rubbing small circles on the teens lower back and being careful to avoid his wounds. The teens eyes welled up and spilled over again as a hot blush of shame reddened the young demons already flushed cheeks. They'd most likely already been to a lot of trouble to rescue him, and he was sure Ashiya had pitched a fit over the cost of a futon and bedding, but they were still going out of their way to be nice to a worthless weakling like him.

 

Eventually the heaving stopped and Ashiya took the bowl away, rinsing it out and setting it next to the futon in case the teen needed it again. He fetched a washcloth from the closet and dampened it with warm water, then handed it to Mao, who gently wiped the teens face. “Why are you crying Urushihara? Are you in pain?”

 

Urushihara sniffled as more tears fell and shook his head, leading Mao to pull the teen into his arms as he resumed rubbing the teens back. “It's okay, it's okay. I'm here, I've got you.”

 

Gradually the teens crying subsided, and Mao released him, moving back to his spot at the table. “I hate to ask you this right now, but we need to know... What happened to you? From the time you left the apartment until we found you yesterday?”

 

Urushihara looked down at his bandaged wrists. “Do I have to tell you?”

 

“Unfortunately, yeah. We need to know what Olba wanted to do so we can figure out if he's gonna come after you again, and I should probably update Emi as well.”

 

“I-”

 

All three demons jumped as someone tried the door. “What the crap? You guys actually locked it this time?”

 

Ashiya wiped his hands on a dishtowel and went to answer the door. “Speak of the hero...Honestly Emilia, you can't just barge into someone else's apartment any time you want, it is most unseemly.”

 

The demon general stepped back as he opened the door, revealing not only Emi, but her friend Emeralda, who waved cheerfully.


	10. Diagnoses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Urushihara shares his experiences with the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updating this, sorry guys :(

Emeralda forced a cheerful smile as she looked over the trio of demons, shocked by Urushihara's frail and bandaged figure, a quiet rage building in her stomach now that she'd seen the product of the 'lab' her investigators had discovered. “I ordered some things after I arrived last night, they should be delivered here this afternoon, and Emi and I stopped on the way here and got a few things as well.”

 

Mao rubbed the back of his head, “Uh, thanks, but-”

 

“Now, now. It might be better to let someone with a little experience help out, don't you think?”

 

The injured teen clenched his fists in the blanket that was covering him. “You guys... I'm okay-”

 

His stomach choose that moment to rebel against him, and the teen vomited into the bowl Ashiya had given him, groaning piteously as his stomach turned. Eventually the heaving stopped, and Ashiya took the bowl back, going into the bathroom to flush the contents and rinsing it out before placing it back on the floor beside Urushihara.

 

Emeralda approached, setting a medium-size tote on the floor before kneeling next to the teen. She removed a stethoscope from the bag, pressing it to the teens chest. “Deep breath please.”

 

Urushihara obeyed, coughing violently when his breath caught in his throat. The green-haired magician frowned, listening to a number of other things before tucking the stethoscope back into her bag and extracting a thermometer. “Under your tongue please.”

 

The teen obeyed again, watching warily as Emeralda extracted a vial of green powder from her bag, along with three slender test tubes. The thermometer beeped, showing that Urushihara had a high fever. Emeralda held a test tube out to him, “I need just a little bit of your blood in this test tube. I've got a needle here that you can use to prick your finger, or I can. Emelia, Maou, I'll need samples from you as well.”

 

Emi and Maou accepted tubes from Emeralda, confused expressions on their faces, pricking their fingers and letting blood drip into their respective tubes. Urushihara held a shaking hand out to Emeralda, wincing slightly when she pricked his finger and let a few drops of blood collect in the tube. She shook a bit of green powder into each tube and added a few drops of purple liquid from a bottle she had tucked in her pocket. The contents of Maou's tube did nothing, while Emi's smoked and glowed white. The tube containing Urushihara's sample smoked and glowed white before fading to a dull gray. Emeralda cleared her throat, placing the bottle of purple fluid on the table. “My preliminary diagnosis is this. You've got a high fever, shortness of breath and coughing. When I listened to your lungs, it sounds like you have some fluid in them, so my guess is that you've got bronchitis, or at least something like it. It's possible that your fever could also be caused by an infection from your wounds, or even stress. Now, this bottle is one of many, which have been confiscated, that was found by my agents at the location they were holding you in. It is a uniquely designed potion, with compounds of Ente Islan and Earth medicines, however it is highly addictive for humans, and extremely toxic to angels, and effectively shuts down their ability to use magic. The tremors are caused by your human body going through withdrawal, and the vomiting is caused by your angel side trying to purge the toxins. However, until we know more about what happened, I can't form an accurate diagnoses.”

 

Maou sank back into his place at the table as Emi and Ashiya also knelt on the floor. The teen looked down at his lap, refusing to look up at any of them. Emeralda started unpacking several rolls of gauze and medical tape and started to clean and re-bandage his wounds, checking each one for infection as they waited for the fallen angel to speak. The demon king stared at his underling. “Tell us what happened. From the time you left the apartment until we brought you back here.”

 

Urushihara gulped, hearing the command in Maou's voice. “I... I left to go to the convenience store... on my way out I ran into a guy wearing a hoodie and... he started following me. I thought it was a coincidence until another guy started following me too... I started running and they chased me, I got lost and... they chased me into a trap... They had a net that sealed my magic and... they put me in a sack and locked me in the back of a van, I think. After... an hour... they let me out into a room with sealing circles all over the place and locked me in... I fell asleep, and when I woke up, Olba...”

 

The teen broke off, his fingers fisting in the comforter. Ashiya opened his mouth to say something, but Maou cut him off. “Take your time, Urushihara.”

 

Urushihara blinked away the tears that had gathered in his eyes. “He said... he was going to send me back to heaven, to earn God's favor or something...”

 

Emilia's eyes hardened, but she stayed quiet as the teen continued. “Th-they gagged me, and said they'd 'purify' me... that's when they started giving me that purple stuff... they tied me up and took me into a room with a big plastic tub in it... full of Holy Water and... h-held me under, over and ov-”

 

The teen broke of in a coughing fit as the others waited patiently for him to go on. Urushihara took a shuddering breath and continued. “They took me back to my cell and untied me, and I was... so tired... I fell asleep again and the next time I woke up, they'd tied me up again and blindfolded me and put something in my ears so I couldn't hear anything... Eventually I fell asleep again... then they took me back to the other room and tied me to a ring in the ceiling and... hit me... a lot... with a bat... he hit me in the head and I blacked out... when I woke up I was still in the same room and they'd taken my shirt... there were electrodes a-all over me and... they shocked me... they cut me down and took me back to my cell... and I passed out again... the next day... they tied me to a chair and... whipped me... then...they made my- they whipped me more... Y-you know the rest, you found me the next day...”

 

Maou frowned. He could tell the teen had given them a mostly accurate account, but he was still hiding something. Taking into consideration that there were four people currently listening to him, and that two of those people could almost be considered strangers, Maou decided to let the issue go. He'd ask Urushihara about it the next time Ashiya went out. _Can't be good for him to keep things to himself, right?_

 


	11. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry guys, I've gotten really bored with this fanfic so I'm wrapping it up in this chapter.

Almost a week had passed since he'd been rescued, and most of his wounds were healing well... except for his wings. Usually, they regenerated on their own when he retracted them, but this time...

 

Sighing, Urushihara drew his wings in, wincing at the pain as they folded in. They looked just as bad as they had a week ago, maybe even worse. The normally glossy feathers were dull, and his wings hung limply, refusing to extend to their full length.

 

Quietly, the teen crept out of the bathroom. He checked the clock, today was Maou's first day back to work, and he wouldn't be home for another hour, and Ashiya was currently hanging laundry outside and wouldn't notice him sneaking out the door.

 

He grabbed his shoes and tugged them on, making sure the laces were tight before yanking the door open and dashing down the stairs. Ashiya noticed him just as he rounded the wall and headed for the train station, but the teen ignored his alarmed shout.

 

~

 

Emi had just gotten out of the shower and was drying her hair when someone buzzed her apartment for the second time in less than a week. Baffled, knowing that Emeralda had gone home three days ago, she let the towel drape over her shoulder and pressed the button for the speaker. “Hello?”

 

She was answered by silence. Frowning, she pressed the button again. “This is Emi Yusa, is there someone there?”

 

“...It's Urushihara...”

 

The hero's eyes widened. “Oh. Come on up.”

 

A few minutes later there was a hesitant knock on her door and she opened it, still vaguely in shock that the teen had come to her. “Does... Maou know you're here?”

 

“He went back to work today... I'd rather him not know that I was here...”

 

“Why's that? He's your king isn't he?”

 

Urushihara looked down at his feet. “That's why I don't want him to know... I have a problem... and I don't think he can help so... since we're both... Can I just come in?”

 

“Oh, sure. Sorry.” Emi stepped out of the way, closing the door behind the teen. “So what's this problem?”

 

Urushihara hesitated before answering. “It's kind of an angel thing... my wings... they're not... healing.”

 

Emi frowned, this was the first she'd heard of his wings being damaged. “Show me. Shirt off first.”

 

The fallen angel's cheeks reddened. “Do I have to...?”

 

“It might have to come off anyway, so unless you want me to cut it off...”

 

“Fine...” Urushihara tugged his shirt over his head as Emi set two cushions out, kneeling on one and patting the other. “Sit here, back to me.”

 

Urushihara obeyed, unable to help the slight tremble as she gently traced a line on his back. “Where did this scar come from?”

 

He smirked, “You don't recognize your own work?”

 

“What?”

 

“It's where you ran me through with your sword... I have a matching one on my chest...”

 

“Seriously?”.

 

Urushihara didn't answer, looking down at the floor. Emi frowned. “When Maou brought you back... you woke up and said 'this was all my fault'... is that why?”

 

The teen sighed. “You wounded my leg before you impaled me with your sword. It hasn't worked right since.”

 

“Oh yeah... How did you survive that anyway?”

 

Urushihara sighed. “Right before you struck... I opened a gate, planning to strike from behind you... I messed up the wording and ended up opening a gate to this world, but... I didn't have enough magic to make it through... I was stuck in limbo until Olba came through and sort of... pushed me the rest of the way.”

 

“How long were you stuck in there?”

 

“Umm... about fifty years...”

 

“Fifty years? How is that even possible?”

 

”I don't know... I don't know how I'm not dead, that blow should have killed me...”

 

Silence echoed between them and Emi let her fingers fall away from the teens back. “I'm so-”

 

“Don't apologize. You were doing what you thought was right.”

 

“I'm not sorry that I did it. I'm just... sorry that it didn't heal.”

 

“I deserved it... I killed your father...”

 

Emi tightened her fingers into fists, jumping to her feet to stand in front of the teen. About to launch into a lecture, she stopped herself. Tears ran down Urushihara's cheeks, splashing onto his hands, also clenched into fists. The hero sighed. “It's in the past. Whatever we do or say now won't change anything.”

 

Urushihara looked up in surprise. “But-”

 

“Are you gonna show me your wings or not?”

 

The teen sighed, and Emi knelt back on her cushion as his wings expanded. Biting back a gasp at the sight of their ragged state, she hesitantly reached out to brush Urushihara's feathers. “You didn't tell us about this...”

 

“I...couldn't... You guys were already so worried and...”

 

“It's okay... What happened to them?”

 

“I... I think Olba figured out how sensitive they are and... broke them so that I would...”

 

Emi frowned and stood, then knelt in front of Urushihara. “Listen, Urushihara... I need you to go to sleep, okay?”

 

“Wha-”

 

The hero held a hand up, glistening with celestial force. Urushihara's eyes drooped, then fluttered shut. Emi caught him before he landed on the floor, gently laying his head on her abandoned cushion.

 

~

 

Emi stretched, having just finished setting the bones in Urushihara's wings, using a little celestial force to hold them in place. Sighing, she got back to work, gently folding them against the teens body and using an old sheet to secure them. Hooking her elbows under the demons arms, she heaved him onto her bed. “Really should've done this before I put you to sleep...”

 

Her phone rang just as she covered the teen with a blanket. Flipping it open without looking at the caller ID, she winced, holding it away from her ear. Sighing, she waited until the demon king stopped yelling before responding. “As a matter of fact, he _is_ here, and you don't need to yell at me. I had nothing to do with it.”

 

~

 

Maou banged on the door to Emi's apartment, still wearing his MgRonald's uniform. The hero yanked the door open, a disgruntled look on her face. “I already know you're here, so quit banging on my door!”

 

The demon king pushed his way into her apartment, and she let him. He finally calmed upon seeing Urushihara sound asleep in her bed. “What the hell inspired him to come here? I thought he ran off cuz he was afraid me and Ashiya be hurt if Olba came after him again.”

 

“About that... I got a call from Emeralda about an hour ago. Olba's been caught, they're planning to execute him this time. And they found the humans he was working with, but there's not much we could do, so their memories were erased and they let them go.”

 

Maou frowned, unsatisfied with those results, but knew it was likely the best 'revenge' they'd get. He sighed, “So why'd Urushihara come here?”

 

“Olba... broke his wings. They weren't healing, so he asked me to look at them.”

 

“His wings are broken? Why the hell didn't he say something?”

 

“He didn't want us to worry any more than we already were. Usually, an angel's wings will regenerate after being drawn in, but his haven't. I think it has something to do with the drugs they were giving him, and he's still completely drained of magic.”

 

Maou rubbed the back of his head. “Crap... I'll have to figure out some way for him to get some magic back...”

 

“Or... I could give him some celestial force. He may be a fallen angel, but he's still an angel.”

 

~

 

Urushihara groaned, opening his eyes slowly. He closed them again as soon as he saw both Emi and Maou watching him. Maybe they hadn't noticed he was awake?

 

“I know you're awake, Urushihara.”

 

Crap. The teen opened his eyes and sat up, wincing as the movement jarred his wings. He avoided looking Maou in the eye, guessing at how pissed the demon king would be. He heard his master sigh. “I'll let it go this time, but you should have said something. No more secrets.”

 

“Y-yes sir...”

 

Urushihara watched as Emi stood, fetching a small cup of something blue from her kitchen. “Drink this.”

 

The fallen angel swallowed the liquid without question, gasping as warmth spread through his body, reaching all the way to the tips of his wings. “C-celestial force?”

 

“Yup.” Emi unwound the sheet, letting his wings unfold. The shimmered, the color fading until they shone a pearly white, fully healed.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Some really short chapters to follow, sorry guys!
> 
> Some days are more detailed than others, depending on HOW MUCH is going on.


End file.
